Mar. 3, 1923 
Influence of Specific Gravity of Hens' Eggs on Fertility 719 
Table III. — Relation of specific gravity to viability of chicks hatched 
Specific gravity. 
Number 
dying. 
Number 
living. 
Total. 
I 
I 
I.04. 
3 
15 
46 
38 
23 
3 
3 
17 
52 
46 
28 
3 
2 
6 
8 
5 
I.07. 
I.08. 
I.09. 
1.10. 
Total. 
21 
129 
150 
r~ —0.074^:0.055. 
It has furthermore been stated in commercial literature that chicks 
hatched from eggs of high specific gravity grow much more rapidly than 
those hatched from low specific gravity eggs, by virtue of more complete 
nutritional opportunities in the early life of the high specific gravity 
chicks. The growth history of 129 chicks were studied with this subject 
for inquiry, the results being summarized in Table IV. 
Table IV. —Relation of specific gravity of eggs to early growth of chicks hatched 
[Expressed in percentage of increase in weight at 35 days over weight at hatch] 
This observation made on 129 chicks indicates that there is no correla¬ 
tion between the specific gravity of eggs and the early growth of the chick 
hatched. 
FACTORS INFLUENCING THE SPECIFIC GRAVITY OF EGGS 
Willard and Shaw 2 report the analysis of large numbers of hens’ eggs, 
giving the following chemical composition: Water, 65.8 per cent; ether 
extract, 10.5 per cent; protein, 12.8 per cent; ash in yolk, 1.5 per cent; 
ash in shell, 9.9 per cent. The specific gravity of the shells of a number 
of eggs was determined by one of us (Halbersleben) and was found to 
average 2.14. The average specific gravity of the whole eggs in this 
a Willard, J. R., and Shaw, R. H. analyses op eggs. Kans. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 159, p. i 43 -I 77 . 
1909. 
